


Peonies and Pansies

by doylesmom



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Because I can, Florist AU, Fluff, I feel like he is a warning in and of himself, Is that a thing, M/M, Well it is now, also Christophe, also stripper!yuuri, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2018-09-11 08:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8971660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doylesmom/pseuds/doylesmom
Summary: In which local florist Victor Nikiforov realizes his life isn't quite as perfect as he'd previously thought.





	1. Gloxinia

Victor Nikiforov's flower shop was located between a deli (known for their egg salad) and an old apartment complex. It was a small brick building- nowhere near as fancy as his daydreams, but it would do for now. Of course, he was also lucky to be in such a high traffic area. He wasn't sure if one would be able to call business 'booming', per se, but he was doing rather well for himself. He could usually make a couple of sales a day, more during rush seasons. It wasn't the grand, corner office, coffee and business trips his father had imagined for him during business school, but Victor was quite content with the way things were, thank you very much. He had his dog and his flowers, and every night after he closed up he would walk over to the deli and have an egg salad sandwich. The owner, Christophe, would exchange gossip with him for a while, and then Victor would walk the three blocks home. He would then read, go to sleep, and wake up. Then in the morning, he would have his daily cup of tea, read the newspaper, go to the flower auction, and then open up shop, for another day of bliss. He had a routine, and he was happy. At age 27, what more could any man ask for?

And then Yuuri Katsuki stumbled into his life, and Victor realized how wrong he was.

It was mid October, a Wednesday, and the weather was unseasonably warm. Victor was at his work station, finishing up placing a few wands in a bridal bouquet. He heard Makkachin let out a small 'Boof!' and quickly exited the cool work room, wiping his hands on his apron and putting on his best customer service grin.

"Hello, welcome!" He chirped. "What can I help you with today?" The man standing in the entryway of his shop glanced up nervously from the floor.

"Oh, um, hi." He sad, glasses glinting in the evening light. "My, uh, my name is Yuuri Katsuki. I just need a single rose. Um. Please." Victor chuckled and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Of course! What color would you like?" After a moment of brief fumbling, the man pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Yellow, please. If you have it."

"Of course! Just a moment!" Victor quickly pulled a yellow rose from the cooler, trimmed it, wrapped it, and made his way back into the main foyer where his cash register was located. He saw Yuuri Katsuki crouched down, hand running methodically down Makkachin's back, a gentle smile and a look of wistfulness delicately painted on his face. 

"Ah, I see you've met Makkachin. She normally doesn't let strangers pet her- you must be special."

"Oh! Sorry! Um, yeah! I like dogs! I had a poodle. He passed away recently though." Yuuri Katsuki smiled wistfully. Victor chuckled and handed him the rose.

"Here," he said. "It's on the house. Any friend of Makkachin is a friend of mine, Yuuri Katsuki." Victor watched as Yuuri flushed a pretty peony pink and stood up quickly, taking the flower from Victor. His hands were cold, and strangely calloused.

"Thank you!" Yuuri Katsuki said as he beamed at Victor. "And please, just call me Yuuri, if we're friends."

"Okay, Yuuri," Victor said, enjoying the way his name rolled through his mouth. "I'm Victor. Come by again if you ever need another flower."

"I most certainly will!" Yuuri chimed as he walked out the door, yellow rose grasped gently in his hands.

\--

The next time Victor saw Yuuri was a week later. It was raining out, and Yuuri was carrying a bubble umbrella. 

"Hello again, Yuuri!" Victor called from where he was misting down some cacti. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon! What can I get for you today?"

"Oh, uh, hi Victor. Just a single white rose today. Please. I'll pay for it this time." Yuuri fidgeted and looked down at his shoes.

"Of course, of course! Give me just a moment!" Victor left Yuuri in the front of his shop and once again prepared Yuuri's rose. 

"Is Makkachin not here today?" Yuuri's voice floated to Victor. 

"No," he said, "She doesn't like the rain, so I left her at home today. She's much happier laying in bed all day in weather like this. Although, I can't exactly blame her." he chuckled, handing the flower to Yuuri. "That's four dollars, by the way." Yuuri nodded, damp black hair flopping around as he pulled out his wallet and payed for the rose. Yuuri then handed Victor a small dog treat.

"Well, give her this when you get home today. I mean, if that's okay with you! You don't have to give it to her, I just have a bunch sitting around my place, so I thought, you know, I'd bring one for Makkachin. But you totally don't have to give it to her if you don't want." Victor laughed and took the treat.

"I will most certainly give Makkachin this. Thank you, Yuuri."

\--

Yuuri came the next Wednesday. And the Wednesday after that. Pretty soon, Victor Nikiforov realized he had a new routine. Every night after he closed up he would walk over to the deli and have an egg salad sandwich. The owner, Christophe, would exchange gossip with him for a while, and then Victor would walk the three blocks home. He would then read, go to sleep, and wake up. Then in the morning, he would have his daily cup of tea, read the newspaper, go to the flower auction, and then open up shop, for another day of bliss. And on Wednesdays, he would sell a single rose to his friend, Yuuri Katsuki. His previosuly full and blissful world, Victor decided one evening, had somehow managed to become just a little fuller.

Interesting.


	2. Lilac

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and the comments! I'm feeling very inspired at the moment, so here's chapter 2! Please enjoy!

Appearances aside, Christophe Giacometti was a smart man. Sure, he put on the 'lustful bachelor' act, but at the end of the day it was just that- an act. People tended to underestimate those who were entangled in their own physicality, and thus tended to not bother him, which was how he liked it. Plus, he got to hear all of the interesting sexual gossip. But, nonetheless, Chris was highly intelligent. And observant. So it wasn't long before he noticed that something had changed in Victor. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but something was different, he could feel it in his bones. One Wednesday evening in mid December, Victor came in for his daily sandwich, and he was whistling. Whistling. Chris quirked an eyebrow and leaned forward onto the counter.

"Good day today, Victor?" The silver haired man in question looked up from his phone and waved in that obnoxiously cheerful way of his.

"Ah, as good as ever, I suppose." He said, taking a seat at the counter. Chris pouted.

"That's good. Anything new and exciting happening with you? I, for one, just got my ice cream machine working again."

"Eh, not much. Getting ready for the annual poinsettia rush."

"I'm telling you Victor, you need to hire on some help. You're gonna burn out again, and I refuse to carry you back to your apartment for the third year in a row."

"Chris," Victor pouted, "You know I don't trust anyone to work with my beloved children."

"What about that cousin of yours? The teenager? He helped out last summer, and you seemed to be fine with that."

"Hm, maybe. But he's still in high school, and his grandfather doesn't like him out late."

"True. If only you had more friends, Victor. Then maybe you could ask one of them. Not me, of course, I'm too busy with the deli. But, seeing as how I'm your only friend, I guess you're out of luck there." 

"That's not true, I have a new friend now!" Victor insisted. Chris perked up. 

"Oh really? And where, pray tell, did you meet this new friend? Who are they? What do they do? How did you become friends? Give me details!"

"His name is Yuuri-"

"Your cousin doesn't count as a friend, Victor."

"No, not Yuri, Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki. He's Japanese. I met him at my store. He comes in every Wednesday evening, just before I close up. He's my first ever regular." Victor bragged, taking a bite of his sandwich. Chris smirked. Jackpot.

"So your new friend is your customer. Have you guys hung out outside of work?"

"Well, no, why?"

"Because that's what friends do? Victor, I love you, but you have got to realize that just seeing someone once a week for a few minutes does not a friend make!"

"But-"

"No buts, Victor! Do you want to be this guy's friend?"

"Yeah!"gr

"Then you need to hang out with him! Get to know him! Close up early for once in your life and go hang out with the man! If he's really your friend, then there won't be any problem, right?" Chris placed his hands on the counter and leaned over it. "Let yourself be happy, Victor."

"I'm already happy, thank you very much." Victor sniffed haughtily and turned away. Chris counted four seconds before Victor turned back. "Although, I guess hanging out with him once wouldn't hurt."

"There you go. Do you have the guy's phone number?" Chris winked at Victor. Victor picked up his phone and scrolled through it.

"Um, yeah, here it is. He put it in last week."

"Well, go give this guy a call!"

"Now?"

"Yes now! Go, man, go!" Chris slammed his hands down on the counter. Victor jumped out of his seat and trotted to the door, phone already at his ear. 

"Yes, hi, Yuuri? It's Victor..."

"Knew it." Chris chuckled to himself, wiping down the counter. This new development was going to be so much fun, he could tell already. Poor Victor didn't know what was headed his way.


	3. Shamrock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to decide how long this story will be. I have a poll going on my twitter (@tzubakis) Please vote! Not sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow, but if I don't, I'll try and put up two chapters the day after. Thank you for all of your kind reviews so far, they are literally making me cry! Happy Holidays!

By the fourth outfit change, Phichit had given up completely and returned to live-tweeting Yuuri's dilemma. 

"Okay, okay, but what do you think about-"

"Yuuri." Phichit looked up from his phone. "You're acting like you're going on a date. Take a step back, put on your chill pants, and breathe."

"Sorry," Yuuri's voice was muffled as he removed his sweater. His roommate rolled his eyes. 

"Okay, intervention time!" Phichit called, putting his hamsters back in their cage. "Yuuri, wear the tan sweater, black jeans, and sneakers. Boom, there, crisis averted."

"Are you sure? It's kinda cold out."

"Then put a damn blazer over your sweater! My god man, get out of your head!"

"Okay, okay, sorry!" Yuuri did as he was told, and then darted out into the living room. "Am I good?"

"Looking hot, man. Now go get 'em!"

\--

Yuuri had been surprised, to say the least, when Victor had called to ask him to hang out. He'd readily agreed- Yuuri was, after all, quite fond of the man- and they'd set the date for Sunday. Victor's shop was close for the day, and Yuuri was off from work as well. Yuuri approached the front of the store, where they had agreed to meet. He saw Victor standing out front wearing a brown peacoat, Makkachin faithfully at his side.

"Victor!" He called out, waving to the man. Victor turned and beamed at Yuuri, waving back. His silver hair was perfectly quaffed and his eyes were an absolutely vivid shade of sky blue. Yuuri felt his heart skip a beat. The man was stunning. He tripped over his own feet, and came stumbling to a stop.

"Hi, uh, Victor." Yuuri said, glancing down at his feet. Victor, upon closer inspection, had a ridiculously fluffy pink turtleneck under his coat (adorable) and smelled (unsurprisingly) of flowers.

"Hello Yuuri! I was thinking we could walk Makkachin around for a bit, and then grab a bite to eat? There are a couple of dog friendly places around here." Victor rocked back and forth on his feet excitedly.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure."

\--

The two men chatted easily as they walked. Victor was bubbly and energetic and had a seemingly endless supply of funny stories and anecdotes. Yuuri felt himself slowly begin to relax around the man as they wove through the streets. 

"And then!" Victor gasped between giggles, "And then he turns and says to me, 'You were drunk off your ass, there was nothing scientific about it!" Yuuri burst into laughter, throwing his head back as Victor howled with mirth.

"Oh man, your college days sound much wilder than mine were." Yuuri chuckled, taking a sip of a coffee he had bought from a street vendor. Victor nodded, taking a drink from his own.

"Yeah, well, business majors, you know? Man, those were the good old days. Say, what did you study in college?"

"Oh," Yuuri said, "I double majored. Physics and Astronomy. Graduated last spring. Now I'm working, trying to save up for grad school, and a doctorate eventually." Victor whistled lowly.

"Impressive. Where are you working now? Somewhere exciting, I bet."

"Oh, not really. I'm a stripper." Yuuri whirled around as he heard choking and gasping behind him. Victor was gaping at him, coffee running down his face and jacket. Yuuri exclaimed and reached for his pocket where he kept some tissues. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"You're a stripper?" Victor gasped, coughing a bit. He accepted the offered tissue, dabbing gently at his face.

"Well, yeah. Grad school is expensive, and I make more as a stripper than I did working entry jobs. Plus, you know, it's fun. And I'm good at it." Yuuri blushed and returned his bespectacled gaze to the concrete below. "It's why I come to your shop every Wednesday- my routine involves a flower, and I like to get a fresh one every week. The last place I went to got shut down, so I ended up at your shop." By the end of his explanation, Yuuri was mumbling, sure he had ruined the budding friendship. Victor would never want to be friends with him now, who would wanna be friends with a guy like him, nobody likes strippers, why would-

"Yuuri." Victor's voice pulled him abruptly out of his spiral. He felt Victor's warm, soft hand grasp his own. "It's okay. I'm not judging you. I was just caught off guard. I was just shocked- you always seem so quiet and timid, it's just hard for me to picture you as a stripper. But that's okay. You're still my friend, no matter what profession you pursue. But enough about stripping, tell me about what you want to go to grad school for?" Yuuri looked up and gave a wobbly smile, face still bright red. As they walked and talked, Yuuri noticed that Victor still hadn't let go of his hand.

He liked that, he realized.

He liked that a lot.


	4. Viscaria

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I prepare to post this chapter, I am laying in bed grieving, heart torn in two by the passing of my role model, Carrie Fisher. I first saw Star Wars when I was six years old, sitting in my father's lap. He only owned the Spanish dub at the time, and I remember being fascinated with la princesa Leia. I told my father that I no longer wanted to be Ariel when I grew up- I wanted to be 'un jedi, como la princesa!' As I grew older, Carrie continued to impact my life. As an author, as a woman, as a recovering nicotine addict, as someone who struggles with mental illness every day, Carrie Fisher has inspired me and guided my life in a way words alone cannot explain. Just last night I went to go see Rogue One with my father. The very last line of the movie is Princess Leia saying "They have given us hope." So here's to you, Carrie Fisher, who drowned in moonlight and was strangled by her own bra. You who gave me hope when I could find it nowhere else. Que la Fuerza te acompañe.

Perhaps coming on disco night was not the greatest idea, Victor realized. The music was loud and pulsing, and the ice felt almost as though it was vibrating beneath his feet. Combined with the flashing lights and fog machine, it was difficult for even a natural like himself to skate properly. As he glided around the rink, dodging children and couples and wobbly amateurs, he thought that maybe in another life he would have become a figure skater- he was rather talented at it, he thought, despite having never taken more than a few formal lessons. His poor Yuuri, on the other hand...

 

"VICTOR HELP, PLEASE."

 

"Yuuri, you're doing fine! Relax and let go of the wall!"

 

"I CAN'T VICTOR. IF I DO I'LL FALL AGAIN." Yuuri huffed and puffed and glared at the older man, who simply smiled and continued skating in circles around his panicky, doe legged companion.

 

"Remember what I told you Yuuri!" Victor sang, coming to a halt in front of the struggling man. "Shoulders back, knees bent, legs apart. Then just pick  up your feet, and glide." Yuuri glared at Victor, opened his mouth as though to argue, and then promptly fell backwards, squealing and startling the family behind him. Victor laughed heartily and apologized to the startled skaters, before getting down on one knee in front of Yuuri, who had made no effort to get up yet.

 

"You know, if you picked up your feet, you wouldn't fall so much."

 

"Thanks for the advice," Yuuri pouted, sticking a choice finger out at Victor. Victor swatted it away.

 

"Not here, there are children!"

 

"And why should I care about the children?"

 

"Alright grouchy pants, let's get you off the ground before someone calls an ambulance. Or the staff make us leave. You know, one or the other." Yuuri groaned and dramatically made his way back into a sitting position, much to the enjoyment of Victor, who continued laughing like a kid in a candy store. Victor grasped Yuuri's outstretched hands with his own, pulling the smaller man back onto his feet. Victor kept their hands interwoven as he slowly began pulling Yuuri around the ice. Yuuri's breathing was coming fast and hard, and his eyes were blown wide with panic. He stared at his feet, and Victor clucked at him.

 

"Yuuri, don't look down. Look at me instead, okay? You're doing just fine. I'll keep you safe okay? Just look at me." Victor murmured gentle words to the obviously frightened man, feeling a rush of pride when Yuuri's copper eyes locked with his, rather than his feet below. "You know why I want you to pick up your feet?" Victor asked. Yuuri shook his head, their eyes still locked, despite the warmth Victor could feel flushing his cheeks. "Because what's happening is that your feet are getting caught in the grooves in the ice, yeah? And that's what's causing you to trip, okay? But look at you, you're doing great! Just keep looking at me, okay? I won't let you fall. I promise." The two men continued their slow glide around the expansive rink, lights still flashing, music still blaring, though it didn't seem to faze Yuuri quite so much as it had before. He was even starting to smile, and Victor couldn't help but smile back.

 

"Not so bad, is it Yuuri?"

 

"No, still pretty terrfying," Yuuri admitted, "But the way we're doing it kinda makes it feel like dancing. So less bad. I guess."

 

"Are you ready for me to let go?"

 

"Actually," Yuuri broke eye contact for a moment, face pinking from either the cold or from nerves, Victor couldn't quite tell which, "Could we stay like this? Just a little longer?"

 

"Why, Yuuri, I'd love nothing more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by real life- I took my friend ice skating for the first time ever last night, and it basically went like this. But with more laughing and pointing, and less fluff. Thank Kat. Sorry about your butt.
> 
>  
> 
> Follow me on social media for updates, memes, and horses
> 
> [tumblr](http://tzubakis.tumblr.com)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/tzubakis)


	5. Jonquil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I accidentally contracted the flu. Oops. I've also been working on a self-insert challenge from tumblr (I put myself in the Voltron universe so I could dab with Lance), and an original piece for a competition. And then I wrote this and meant to post it yesterday, but my dog decided to have a seizure. He's fine, but it derailed me for the day. Also I start spring semester in four days, which means I have regular classes, barre and cardio and pilates classes, riding lessons, riding competitions, musical theater cabarets/benefit shows, USHLI conference prep, multicultural programming for my learning community, and volunteer work to get ready to go back to. So yeah. Sorry for the delays, and I'll try to update as frequently as I can. 
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to my number one girlie, Sylvia, who finally hopped on the YOI bandwagon. Welcome to hell, sissy.

When Victor realized he was in love with Yuuri, it was not a big a-ha! moment, as he had been led to believe it would be. Movies and TV dramas always made such a big deal out of it, like it was some Earth shattering, cosmo rearranging, life altering event, complete with a musical score and copious sound effects. But in actuality, there was no fuss involved. Yuuri had invited him to go grocery shopping, and they were standing in the freezer aisle as Yuuri debated gelato brands, when Victor looked at him and realized that he was in love with the man. And by god it felt right.

 

"What do you think, Victor?" Yuuri said, breaking Victor's reverie. He looked down at the younger man and smiled, feeling a sense of calm and rightness fall on him.

 

"I'd go with Findlay. You said yourself you prefer the flavor, even if it is a higher calorie count. You work hard, Yuuri, treat yourself."

 

"See, this is why I've been putting weight on recently," Yuuri complained as he set the balsamic black cherry gelato in his cart. "It's because you keep letting me treat myself."

 

"Now Yuuri, when I have I ever 'let' you do anything? You're rather stubborn you know! If anyone is to blame here, it's you." Victor laughed at Yuuri's put out expression. 

 

"That's it. Victor, your talking privileges have been revoked." Yuuri groused, stopping to look at egg cartons. Victor simply smiled and looked at Yuuri. His hair was messy, face flushed from the chill of the frozen aisle, sweatshirt probably a day or two past when it should have been washed, and his glasses had the slightest smudge in the bottom right corner. Yuuri Katsuki was breathtaking, and Victor suddenly began to realize that whatever happiness he thought he had had before in life was essentially nonexistent in comparison to what he had now.

 

\--

 

But because of who he was as a person, Victor had to make absolute, 100% sure that he was in love with Yuuri. So Victor did what any self respecting millennial would do, and asked Google.

 

**How do I know if I'm in love with someone?** (Nothing but wikiHow articles)

 

**Love calculating test** (Those dumb tests for preteens-not that he didn't do it anyways)

 

**Signs you're in love** (More wikiHow)

 

**Horoscope compatibility checker** (Sagittarius and Capricorn- not a great match, but since when did he believe in horoscopes anyways?)

 

**My dog just ate a snail will he die** (No, but he should probably take him to a vet just in case of parasites)

 

Victor flopped back onto his sofa, feeling defeated. He guessed it was time to give up for the day, and resign himself to reheated takeout and reading. As he was hoisting himself off the ridiculously comfy sofa, his phone buzzed. He checked it. There was a new message from Yuuri. 

 

From:  _Yuuri_

_Victor! Just got a haircut! What do you think?_

 

Victor clicked on the attached image. 

 

Oh.

 

Oh.

 

Oh he was so screwed. 

 

The haircut was awful. Too short. But dear lord Yuuri looked beautiful anyways. His grin was big and goofy, and his eyes sparkled and oh man Victor had to sit down.

 

It was official. Victor loved Yuuri.

 

Now what to do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Balsamic Black Cherry gelato is a thing, I promise. A local gelato shop sells it, and it's my favorite thing ever.
> 
> Follow me on social media for updates, memes, and horses
> 
> [tumblr](http://tzubakis.tumblr.com)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/tzubakis)
> 
> (Do you have a favorite YOI story? Tell me in the comments- I need stuff to read while I'm confined to bed.)


	6. Orchids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm alive! I was working on my piece for [victuribigbang](http://victuri-big-bang.tumblr.com) on tumblr (I'm an admin!) and I got a sudden burst of inspiration for this story. I promise I'll try to update regularly from now on, even though I'm taking 21 credit hours and have a broken laptop (this is being posted from a school computer). So yeah. Look forward to more chapters from this story, and an upcoming urban fantasy one-shot with art done by the incredible and amazing [omtivi](http://omtivi.tumblr.com)
> 
> The song Yuuri dances to is Sofia Karlberg's [Crazy In Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7Sx7emQdMk) (although if you feel another song fits the scene better then feel free to imagine it that way).
> 
> Also, for the person who asked on my tumblr, yes I would love fan art of this story! Honestly that's like, the dream of every fanfic author, probably. Just tag me if you do decide to make some!

As if Victor's life couldn't get anymore cliche, here he was, sweating like a pig outside of an unassuming brick building. Clutched in his hand was an unassuming black duffel bag, mistakenly left in the store when Yuuri had stopped by for his weekly flower just a few hours beforehand. A panicked text from his beloved friend approximately half an hour ago had him scrambling all the way across town with a bag containing only God- and Yuuri- knows what. Victor was really, truly besotted to even consider doing this. With a steadying breath, Victor approached the bodyguard at the door.

 

"Excuse me," he said, voice wavering slightly, "One of your dancers asked me to bring this for him. Yuuri. It was Yuuri. I mean, that's his real name, I don't know if he has a stage name or something? I guess that's not important. Um. Could you let him know I'm here?" Victor finished off awkwardly, cursing his nerves for making him sound so... ramble-y. The guard looked him up and down for a moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cellphone. He punched in a number quickly.

 

"Hey, boss, there's a guy here with a bag he says is for Yuuri. Yeah, some white guy. Okay. Okay. Yes sir. I'll send him right in." The burly man ended the call and jerked his head at the door. "Boss man'll be here in a second to grab the bag from you. Step inside." Victor nodded and quickly entered the building, heart thumping wildly in his chest.

 

The interior of the club was dimly lit and warm. There were quite a few people around, considering it was still early in the evening. Victor took a seat in a plush booth next to the door. A waitress immediately came over to take his order- a glass of bourbon, neat. The dancers on stage were performing some sort of gyrating hip twist to a fast, dirty beat. They were nice, but Victor found his attention being drawn elsewhere in the smoky (that wasn't real smoke right?) place. Polished wood floors, dark red paneling, a marble top bar, glass chandeliers, no obvious smell of sex. This place was high class. Not that Victor had much experience in strip clubs, but it was definitely nicer than the grimy pit stops he'd occasionally traversed in way back in college. The waitress came back with his drink, her too-strong floral perfume making Victor wrinkle his nose. The lights on stage dimmed, and the dancers left to a scattered applause.

 

"And now, the man you've been waiting for, ladies and gentleman. Introducing Stammi Vicino's ace, the man, the myth, the legend, the realizations of your darkest fantasies! Eros!" An announcer cried out, and the crowd began cheering. Victor glanced at the stage and choked on his drink at the sight of Yuuri- _his Yuuri!_ \- walking onstage looking indeed like something out of a fantasy. Hair slicked back, glasses missing, a black velvet choker and crop top, straps crisscrossing his midriff in a pattern that highlighted his waist and hips and was that a belly button piercing?, black short shorts that just barely covered his incredibly firm rear, long legs wrapped in fishnets and bright red stilettos that perfectly matched his painted lips and lined eyes. And oh god, Victor's rose pinned behind an ear, right above silver hoop earrings. How had Victor never noticed Yuuri had pierced ears?

 

Yuuri stopped next to the pole, and all lights but one shut off. A slow, sensual song began playing, and Yuuri dropped into a seemingly impossibly smooth split. The crowd cheered as he began to gyrate his athletic body to the slow beat. Victor felt his face flush as Yuuri continued dancing on the ground, occasionally grinding into the ground, the pole, a paying customer's direction. Then, his long, long legs pushed him into a standing position as he grabbed onto the pole and began to climb it in a feat of incredible athleticism. Victor felt his stomach and heart switch places as Yuuri began bending and folding himself into different impossible shapes as he slowly rotated on the pole. He slowly moved back down the pole, only to begin dancing on the ground again, suggestively tugging and teasing at the edges of his shorts. His hands caressed his legs, midriff, his hair, his rear and nope, Victor was looking away now. Yuuri had asked him to come drop off his things, not ogle his incredibly beautiful body. Victor downed the rest of his bourbon, trying to fight back a rising blush.

 

"Ah! You must be Victor!" called out an older man, quickly approaching the table. "I'm Celestino, the manager on duty tonight.  Come to the back, we can bring Yuuri his things." The man exuberantly ushered Victor out of the booth and around the large crowd towards a guarded door that appeared to lead to backstage. Celestino  nodded to the guard, another muscle head, and guided Victor into a brightly lit hallway that led into a large room filled with beautiful people in various states of undress. Celestino stopped to talk to one of the dancers in a jewel encrusted bra, and Victor stared awkwardly at his shoes. It wasn't that he didn't find some of these people attractive, it was just. Strange. A faint cheer could be heard from where a door was being opened, as Yuuri stepped through, smiling at an employee who immediately came running up with a towel.

 

"Way to go, Yuuri!" The young man cried, his oddly dies hair bouncing with his excitement. "You really nailed that allegra tonight!"

 

"Thanks, Minami," he chuckled, dabbing the sweat from his face, "But I almost lost my grip on the batman. I'll have to work on that one." Yuuri sat himself in a chair in front of a vanity and began blotting his face with some papers left sitting on the surface. He glanced up, and caught Victor's reflection in the mirror.

 

"Victor! You came! Thank you so much! You're a life saver, really!" Yuuri cried, rushing to take the bag from him. Victor smiled down at the sparkling man- literally, he was dusted with some sort of glitter  _how had he missed that?_

 

"Anything for you, Yuuri. Anything for you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was my longest chapter yet?
> 
> Next chapter: Yuuri's POV!
> 
> Follow me on social media for updates, memes, and horses
> 
> [tumblr](http://tzubakis.tumblr.com)
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/tzubakis)


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